On SRman's Workbench

The pre-grouping trains came about because I couldn't resist a few of the early liveries, such as the Terriers in Stroudley's Improved Engine Green (actually a yellow ochre), and the SECR C class in the fully lined out livery. I needed something for them to look right hauling, so started off with some of Hornby, Bachmann and Dapol's colourful private owner wagons, with an emphasis on liveries from the early 1900s, but with a couple of anachronisms because of particularly attractive liveries (the Firestone wagon comes to mind - it couldn't date from any earlier than 1928 because that's when Firestone opened their British factory).

Then I found that there were no RTR brake vans around in suitable liveries, with the exception of Hornby's old LBSCR van, which is really a 1980s moulding - it's not too bad but not up to modern standards. Add to that that I only had a couple of LBSC locomotives to go with it (the Bachmann E4 in LBSC umber came a bit later), and I wanted something to suit the SECR C class 0-6-0, so that meant I had to do a bit of research to find any suitable kits. The Roxey LCDR brake was the only one at the time still available, and I was overreaching my abilities a bit with an all brass kit, but I bought one, all the same.

Fortunately, my very good friend, Doug, Has a resistance soldering rig, which meant we could laminate the three brass etched layers together for each side and end - without that I don't think it would have got built at all! That's now all but finished apart from the numbering. I suspect I have left off a couple of handrails too, but ... maybe later!

After that, I discovered the LSWR brake van kits in resin from Smallbrook Studio, and one of those is already running, and two more are almost completed. The only LSWR liveried locos I have at present are two Hornby M7s, which tended to be passenger engines, but I can live with that, just as I can live with the LBSC Terriers hauling goods trains as well. Of course, Kernow MRC have announce some RTR LSWR brake vans too, but those are still a way off, yet.

Passenger stock will only be properly answered when the Bachmann SECR 'birdcage' stock comes out - that hasn't left their drawing boards, yet. I do ahve a few Roxey 4-wheeled vans, which are etched brass kits bought already made up, but slightly damaged, at a swap meet. These consist of an LCDR 'grand vitesse' luggage van, and SECR luggage van, and an S & D milk van, so a lightly motley assortment there!

Still, it has been a bit of fun, and a nice diversion from my more mainstream interests, as well as adding a welcome splash of colour to some of my trains.
Of course, the other 'excuse' I can use is that they are running in preservation, which allows a few odd combinations to run!

 

The Parkside GWR 10T Open has now had its 'G W' transfers replaced with correct scale 25" lettering, and the load and tare markings put on. It joins the Mink in awaiting only its 5-digit number on each side.

 

Way back, almost lost in the mists of time, I started a Golden Arrow Productions ex-LSWR G16 4-8-0T, using a Hornby Stanier 8F chassis (sort of appropriate since the G16s finished their lives rated as 8F). While it has been operational for some time, I haven't finished the painting and decorating. That has taken a leap forward this evening, because I have put on all of the transfers except for the Feltham shed code and the overhead warning flashes. It is now numbered 30495, the last of the batch of four of these machines, and one of two to survive well into 1962. Up to now, the TCS M1 decoder has been left at address #3, but I can now give it a proper number (#495).

If you think the glossy smoke box door looks odd against the rest of the smoke box, it is because I needed a glossy surface for the waterslide transfers I used for the number. The rest of the transfers are from P.C./HMRS, of the pressfix type. The tiny 8F power classification above the numbers on the bunker side really taxed my eyesight!





Still to do on the G16 are varnishing the whole thing to protect the transfers, add lamp irons, glaze the cab spectacles, put some coal in the bunker, and weather the lot.

The ex-SR 'Pill Box' brake van is built from a Cambrian kit and pre-dates the Bachmann model.

 

Inspired by RMweb's Simon0r's two SECR 6-wheel brake vans converted from Parkside's MR 20 ton vans using LNER 10' wheelbase chassis (see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/112617-buildingbodging-some-secr-brake-vans/), I have attempted my own version of the bodge.

I only wanted to do one van, but as the conversion uses axleboxes cut from a second LNER wagon chassis, I had to order two of the LNER chassis, leaving me with a spare pair of axleboxes for possible future use. Simon cut four planks out of the MR van sides from the centre, but I wanted to retain the moulded rivet and bracket details, so cut two planks from either side of the centre section. Unlike Simon, I used the original MR chassis/floor moulding, shortened by a similar amount as the sides. In fact, I got it about half a millimetre longer, so bodged that by adding a section of microstrip at the non-verandah end of each side.

I also wanted to do the earlier single verandah version (which would later be modified to two verandahs, but after the time period I wanted to represent). To this end, I cut the end door top and side but left the bottom in place at one end of each side, and shortened the roof to match.

I filed a recess inside the solebars in the middle, and also filed the solebar thickness down for the extra axleboxes, so they could sit aligned with the outer axleboxes with the full thickness of the solebars intact. Once glued to the floor unit, it all becomes quite strong. I used Romford 12mm spoked wheels, which have no clearance problems with the chassis cross-members, although I prefer the appearance of the slightly larger wheels Simon used. I may try out some Hornby or Bachmann wheels gauge the effect later.

Pictures of my progress to date follow.













The roof is not glued on in any of these shots. I have added some lead weight to the floor and some rectangular fillets of plastic to fill the gaps between the solebar ends and the insides of the headstocks/buffer beams.

A quick test revealed that the wheelbase is so short it will go around any of the tightest curves I can find.

 

Just a couple of small changes have been made since the first part of this build.

I have added the turned brass buffers (as per Simon0r's suggestion in his RMweb topic), and I have substituted some slightly larger diameter Hornby spoked wheels, which somehow look more spindly and archaic, and entirely suit the style and character of the SECR brake van, in my opinion. With these wheels it runs even more freely than with the Romfords. I suspect the Hornby axle length is a tiny fraction shorter and therefore has slightly less friction in the bearings.

I have also removed the moulded gutter lines from the roof, although I have retained the moulded stove chimney, at least for the time being.

 

Continuing with the brake van: I have added the brake shoes now, using the mouldings from the LNER wagon underframe kits. The shoes are moulded as part of a 'U' shaped piece. I had to thin the shoe mouldings a little with a file, and took crescent shaped chunks out of the base part of the mouldings to clear the wheels. I also had to remove the outer corners of the base moulding for the outer axles, to clear the underframe cross-members, while the centre axle had an off-centre cross-member near it, which necessitated cutting the 'U' shaped mouldings to form two 'L' shaped bits instead, with one 'L' having a much longer base leg than the other.

None of this was difficult, it just took a little time and patience.

The result, to date, then, is this:

 

Thanks Gary.

After adding the brake blocks, I have been tweaking them a little to get them clear of the wheel treads and flanges when the axles are at full travel sideways. It still runs freely, but not quite as freely as before I fitted the brakes!

I gave it a coat of grey primer earlier on Saturday, and now have applied the first coats of paint, using Humbrol #67 for the initial approximation of the SECR grey (to be followed later with the proper grey after I drill the handrail holes). The roof has had a first coat of satin white (Humbrol #130), and the wheels a coat of Humbrol #133 brown, followed by a black wash on the wheels, brakes and W-irons (more or less everything below the solebars).

 

The SECR van has had its first coat of SECR grey, and handrails added (a few still need a little straightening up).

 

Thanks for the compliments, guys.
Gary, I simply use pliers for the handrail bending. most of the kinks and bends in them apparent in the photos were introduced when I was fitting them, rather than when I bent them to shape; I leave the holes as a fairly tight fit, and when gluing the handrails in I am trying to force the ends into the holes before the superglue sets.

To apply the glue, I usually run a little superglue onto a bit of scrap plastic sheet, then dip the ends of the handrails into the shallow pool of glue.

 

After a brief hiatus, I have progressed a little bit further towards completing the 6-wheel SECR brake van conversion.

I painted the handrails black, except for the end one on the non-verandah end, which is body coloured (SECR wagon grey). I don't think the handrails were white for the period I want to model, but I'm not sure when the white came in. My guess would be during WW1, but it is possible that it was earlier than that.

The windows have now been glazed, and the roof glued on.
Still to go are the lamp irons and footboards, plus lettering.

 

Footboards and steps added. I have used the ones from the MR 20 ton brake van kit, but shortened the footboards by cutting a short section out of the middle and filing the clearance for the centre axlebox. There is a small amount of filler needed on one side, but the other side seems to have workked quite neatly.

I also used the plastic hangers from the MR kit, but moved the middle ones outwards slightly to clear the centre spring hangers.

 

I have started to letter the SECR 6-wheel brake van. There is very little specific information available on the Internet regarding liveries and lettering, but from what I can glean, the SE&CR lettering for the period I want goes in the left hand lower corner and should be approximately one plank tall - I think mine might be a little oversized but it's all I have,

One snippet I did pick up was that the SECR wagon grey was very similar to Great Western wagon grey, so my choice to use SECR grey on the earlier GW wagon builds seems to be vindicated.

I cannot locate any pictures of the brake vans in the period I want to model, but later photos show the "Goods Brake" lettering (some even show "Goods Break"). It was pure guesswork to put the lettering in the centre of the main side panels - someone will no doubt prove it to be wrong, now I have done it!

The "20 Tons" lettering seems to have been on the solebars, while the numbers (yet to be added) should be on the lower right of each side. Again, I'm not sure whether the numbers should also be repeated on the van ends or not, but it was the case with goods wagons.